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LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Avatar" director James Cameron has been hit with a lawsuit by a writer who claims that the plot for the hit sci-fi movie was lifted from his own project.

In the suit, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday, Eric Ryder claims that he entered into an agreement with Cameron's production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, to develop a movie based on his story "KRZ 2068."

According to the suit, the project was envisioned as "an environmentally themed 3-D epic about a corporation's colonization and plundering of a distant moon's lush and wondrous natural setting."

After working on the project for nearly two years, Ryder alleges, Lightstorm put the kibosh on it, explaining that "no one would be interested in an environmentally themed science fiction feature film."

Shortly after, the suit says, Lightstorm began work on "Avatar," which Ryder says, "liberally and substantially uses material that fell within the LEI-Ryder agreement."

According to the suit, Ryder's story involved a protagonist who's sent to the moon of a distant planet by an Earth-based mining corporation; moreover, the details of the project called for 3-D effects to "infuse the story."

And since, according to the suit, Ryder's agreement with Lightstorm stipulated that material from the project wouldn't be used without Ryder "sharing in the commercial receipts and the writer or producer credits," he wants to get paid from the mega-successful "Avatar."

Ryder claims that he was told that Cameron alone wrote "Avatar," and that he had prepared a "scriptment" for the project before Ryder and Lightstorm entered the agreement. Ryder says that's untrue -- and says that his story was circulated to the bigwigs at Lightstorm, including Cameron.

Claiming breach of implied contract, fraud and deceit, negligent misrepresentation and other infractions, Ryder is seeking unspecified contract damages, tort damages, punitive damages and that he be awarded the profits "that defendants obtained from their wrongful acts."

Given the billions of dollars that "Avatar" pulled in worldwide, that could be pretty substantial.

Cameron's attorney and Lightstorm did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment.

RhA wrote:I say Pocahontas can slap a lawsuit on Cameron as well. You go, girl.

Don't forget these people:

I do not blame Michael Bay for crapping all over a huge part of my childhood. He just directed the scripts that were given to him. I blame Orci, Kurtzman, and Krueger, who seem completely incapable of concocting a story that even halfway makes sense.

RiddlerJ wrote:Each one will come with an autographed picture of Michael Bay sitting on top of a huge pile of money.

prowl123 wrote:Hay Ryder! The movie is two years old. You should have come out earlier!

Oh you wacky kids thinking lawsuits can just be put together over night.

Good point that many forget, (or don't know how the legal aspects work). When going after someone like cameron or his production company , thes things take time. Alo of time. Lawyers ussualy always make sure they have a strong case before making it public. Cause if all your ducks aren't in a row and false acusations are made, the big dogs could easily come after their clients. Slander is a very serious offence. In this case if Ryder can't prove his case, then you can kiss his career as a movie writer good bye as no one in the industry would want to higher him since he would be known as the sue happy guy. So yes, when going after the big dogs in movie making, you better make sure your case is strong.

Decepticons... Com in get yo ice cream!.... And then get yo ass whop'in!!

Suck my popsicle!! :p

Shadowman wrote:I will put forth the theory that it was the internet itself trying to punch him in the face.